Velde receives National Farmers Union award

April 11, 2024

HANLEY FALLS — Yellow Medicine County farmer Tim Velde received the Bruce Miller Award at the 122nd anniversary convention of the National Farmers Union (NFU) held last month in Scottsdale, Ariz. The award, named for a former Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) staff member, recognizes people who “display a passion for family farming and rural America, while promoting the work of Farmers Union.” Velde won the award for his longtime work as a county leader, for supporting rural electric cooperatives and for being an advocate for legislation. Velde is the president of the Yellow ...

Meadowland Farmers Co-op has annual meeting

December 6, 2023

Meadowland Farmers Co-op held its annual meeting on Nov. 27 at the American Legion in Lamberton. Over 180 people were in attendance. Member/owners were updated on another good year for the co-op with over $10.6 million of local income and over $19 million of total income realized for Fiscal 2023. Director elections were held with Brian Hicks of Tracy, elected to an open director position. Dusty VanDeWiele and Doug Krentz of Walnut Grove were reelected to the board of directors. Loren Redman was recognized for his 28 years of dedicated service to the Meadowland Board. ...

USDA reminds farmers and ranchers to vote in Lyon County committee election

November 24, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has started mailing ballots for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee elections to eligible farmers and ranchers across the country. To be counted, ballots must be returned to the Lyon County FSA office or postmarked by Dec. 4. “FSA county committee members provide valuable knowledge and judgment as decisions are made about the services we provide, including disaster and safety-net programs,” said CED Celia Klein, county executive director for Lyon County. “Please take a few minutes to review your ballot and make your selection ...

What is a fair farm rental agreement?

October 12, 2023

Landlords, farmers, and agri-business professionals should make plans to attend one of the informative in-person meetings being held across Minnesota starting in October through December. These free meetings are being provided by the University of Minnesota Extension. Farm land rental rates are the largest input cost the farmer has, and determining a fair farm rental agreement is always challenging. Negotiating a fair rental agreement that satisfies both the land owner and the farmer is a challenge. David Bau, Extension educator in Ag Business Management, will provide several ways ...

Strategic Farming: Field Notes talks corn development, soybean insect pests

July 14, 2023

ST. PAUL — Dry conditions continue to intensify, impacting crop and insect pest development. Despite delayed planting, corn development is ahead of normal. According to Dr. Jeff Coulter, University of Minnesota Extension corn agronomist, warm temperatures during the early summer accelerated corn growth, compensating for the late spring. “The heart of the pollination period will occur next week,” he said. While temperatures are expected to be favorable, it has continued to be very dry. Drought stress during this critical pollination period has the potential to reduce yield. ...

Nominations open for the 2023 county committee elections

June 20, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is now accepting nominations for county committee members and encourages all farmers, ranchers, and FSA program participants to take part in the Lyon County Committee election nomination process. Elections will occur in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for members. LAAs are elective areas for FSA committees in a single county or multi-county jurisdiction. For Lyon County, elections will take place in LAA #1, which consists of Amiret, Custer, Lyons, Monroe, Shelburne, Sodus, and Rock Lake townships. Customers ...